In 2008 with the critically acclaimed album “A Tale Of Two Cities” under his belt, Mr H made a list of producers to work on a follow-up. But then he was made an offer he couldn’t refuse. Kanye West wanted to sign Mr H to his label G.O.O.D. music and exec produce his next album. No brainer. Next thing he knew he was on a plane to Hawaii. “Before i got to America i was a reluctant collaborator but on the first day in Hawaii, Kanye said ‘i want you to help’ and i took that to heart and it stuck with me ever since”. I just try to help in whatever context i’m in. It’s a good headspace.

In addition to Kanye, Mr H began collaborating with Kid Cudi, Big Sean and Jay Z; “I had always wanted to work with rappers and Grime MCs in London. People like Sway and Dizzy Rascal but I sort of over-shot and ended up in Hawaii working with G.O.O.D. music.” (They made #1 albums 808s & Heartbreak, The Blueprint 3 and Straight No Chaser).

“Kanye is superhuman” says Mr H, “The amount he will get done in a day and the application to whatever he is doing is incredible. If he's going to do something he has to do it as well as possible, which is alien to some people. He helped me realise it’s good to be passionate about what you do."

He went on to work with a string of international names such as Duran Duran, Nile Rodgers, Idris Elba, Chance The Rapper, Frank Ocean, Miley Cyrus, Future, DJ Snake, Vic Mensa. “It’s stranger than fiction” confesses Mr H “I’m a singer-songwriter from Birmingham… this doesn’t happen… What really hit me was singing for President Bill Clinton and telling the folks back home.”

When he eventually landed back home he set up a studio in North London, developing new artists between sessions with pop royalty. “I wanted to learn what all the buttons and faders did and the best way to do that was to build a studio”. Calls started coming in for Hudson to work further afield. Working in South Africa with Idris Elba on the album “Mi Mandela” was a particular highlight. “I learnt so much in Johannesburg. It really challenged me to work with multiple artists from different walks of like, across one record and to cater to Idris’ ideas. The backdrop of Mandela’s passing and the movie that Idris had just shot paying tribute to him made it a particularly charged experience”

From one extreme to the other Mr H flew from Jo’burg to LA to shoot a video for the Sci Fi ballad “Real and True” with Future and Miley Cyrus. I walked on set in an astronaut’s costume to rescue Miley from the surface of an alien planet and really felt a world away from recording traditional music in South Africa. The song was inspired by Prof Stephen Hawking’s “A Brief History Of Time” and some months later i had the pleasure of meeting him in London and telling him all about it.

By 2014 he was in the studio working with Duran Duran where he co-wrote & produced “Paper Gods” the band’s highest charting album in 20 years. Mr H features on the title track ‘Paper Gods’. He performed on Jimmy Kimmel live and at The Hollywood Bowl. Simon Le Bon said “he almost became like the fifth member of the band… being from Birmingham helped… he came for an afternoon and stayed for… a year!”

Then in 2015, partly inspired by the John Taylor’s transatlantic existence, Mr H decided he needed a change of scenery “I gave all my possessions away and bought a one way ticket to LA”.

Despite moving so far west, one of Hudson’s biggest looks in 2016 came from a collaboration with the french producer DJ Snake. “It was a very modern process” describes Mr H “we never met… it all went down in the DMs”. The fruit of this collaboration “Here Comes The Night” became a key track on DJ Snake’s album “Encore”.

Currently residing in LA, Mr Hudson is as always busy writing and producing, but has found time to prepare a new batch of solo material. “It’s like working two jobs!” He kicked things off with the unexpected sound of “Can’t Forget You” with the follow up ‘Coldplay’ (featuring Vic Mensa) premiered with Zane Lowe on Beats 1 Apple radio.

It’s been an remarkable journey.

Joe Sumner

Joe Sumner is a singer-songwriter and bassist for the rock band Fiction Plane. Sumner, a native of England, learned to play guitar and drums when he was a teenager, and was inspired to write songs when he heard Nirvana's album Nevermind. An accomplished musician and singer, in 2017, Sumner toured with his father Sting on the massively successful 57th and 9th world tour.